Historic Site Related to Yi Sun-sin on Hansando Island, Historic site on Hansando Island, Tongyeong, South Korea
Historic Site Related to Yi Sun-sin on Hansando Island is a protected cultural heritage area on Hansando Island in Tongyeong, South Korea, commemorating Admiral Yi Sun-sin and the naval victory of 1592. The site brings together several structures: the shrine Jeseungdang on a hill, the Chungmusa shrine holding a portrait of the admiral, the Hansanjeong Archery Ground, the watchtower Suru, a victory stele, and a turtle-shaped lighthouse near the summit.
In 1592, a naval station was established on the island to defend the Korean coast during the Japanese invasion, and Admiral Yi Sun-sin won a decisive sea battle here that same year. The camp was burned down in 1597 and rebuilt several times over the following centuries, before the whole site was officially designated as a protected historic site in 1963.
The shrine on the hill, Jeseungdang, carries a name given during the reign of King Yeongjo, long after the battle it commemorates. Nearby, the Hansanjeong Archery Ground shows where sailors once practiced with bows, and the watchtower Suru still looks out over the same stretch of sea.
The site is reached from Tongyeong by a short ferry ride to Hansando Island, and all the main structures are then accessible on foot along marked paths. Comfortable shoes are recommended, as the Jeseungdang shrine sits on a hill and some of the paths involve gentle slopes.
During the period of Japanese colonial rule, local villagers took it upon themselves to rebuild parts of the site, refusing to let the memory fade. Near the summit, a turtle-shaped lighthouse echoes the armored turtle ships that Yi Sun-sin used in battle.
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